Decision makers

Take down pro-harassment sign!

At MarketFair Mall in Princeton, New Jersey, there is a sign that reads, “We apologize for the whistling construction workers, but man you look good! So will we soon, please pardon our dust, dirt, and assorted inconveniences.”

Sexual harassment is illegal, not a joke or a compliment, and public sexual harassment impacts more than 80 percent of women worldwide, especially when they're young.

To make MarketFair Mall a safe environment for everyone, please ask MarketFair Mall to take down the inappropriate and offensive sign.

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MarketFair Mall

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MarketFair Mall

I just signed the following petition addressed to: MarketFair Mall.

----------------At your Mall in Princeton, New Jersey, there is a sign by a construction area that reads, “We apologize for the whistling construction workers, but man you look good! So will we soon, please pardon our dust, dirt, and assorted inconveniences.”

Sexual harassment in the workplace and in schools is illegal, so why is it being promoted in the Mall? Here are four specific reasons why this offensive and inappropriate sign should be removed immediately.

1 - The sign treats the sexual harassment that happens in public places as a joke when it is actually a serious problem that makes public places less safe for women worldwide.

Whistling is just one of the many forms of unwanted sexual harassment that people (mostly women and mostly young women) face at the hands of strangers in public places. Numerous studies show that at least 80 percent of women worldwide have experienced sexual harassment in public places and at least half have been sexually touched or groped by a stranger.

When women face unwanted sexual harassment, they are more likely to avoid the place where it happened. If construction workers at MarketFair Mall whistled at female shoppers, it would actually be bad for business at the Mall because many of the women would then feel uncomfortable coming back to that area, especially alone.

2 - Young women are the main targets of sexual harassment in public places and young women also frequent malls at high rates. In a study of 811 women, nearly 25 percent had been the target of sexual harassment in public by age 12, and nearly 90 percent by age 19. Do you really want to promote the sexual harassment of young teenage girls by adult male construction workers?

3 - Sexual harassment is not complimentary, it is illegal. Compliments are consensual and do not sexually objectify people. A stranger whistling at you is not complimentary, it’s sexual harassment. Because of the negative impact sexual harassment has on harassed persons, it is not allowed in workplaces and schools and it should not be allowed on the streets and in shopping malls.

In England, there have been a few incidents where construction workers were suspended from work for harassing women walking by. That is how construction companies should view sexual harassment – as something to penalize their workers for doing, not as something to encourage their workers to do.

4 - The sign is an insult to every construction worker who respects women and does not harass them since the sign suggests that all construction workers are harassers.

Please help make MarketFair Mall a safe environment for everyone, especially young teenage girls, by taking down this sign. Sexual harassment is illegal, not funny or complimentary.